While Paris is unmistakable for its neo-classical architecture, reinvented by George-Eugène Haussmann, and New York, for Central Park, its grid planning and maze of Skyscrapers, London, with its roots dating back to Roman England, is a city made up of many styles, fashions and facades unique to their time. London has always been a place where anything goes—a place made not by its country and government, but by its inhabitants. Right here in Lambeth, it is clear that culture has made a lasting impression too.
The A23 is more commonly known as Streatham High Street. The road was originally a Roman road running from Londinium to Brighton. Streatham means 'hamlet on the street', so you can see how it got its name. St Leonard's was the first parish church and founded in Saxon times! Sadly the Tudor tower is the only structure pre-dating 1831, but Streatham also appears in the Doomsday Book in 1086 as Estreham.
The village of Streatham remained largely unchanged but in the 18th century, the natural springs of Streatham Wells became known for their health-giving properties at the same time Bath was attracting the well-to-do. The boom years of the Industrial Revolution can also be traced in Lambeth. On the north side of Streatham Common, a large house stands called Park Hill, which was inhabited by the sugar refiner Henry Tate.
Back on Streatham High Road, near the bus depot, an unsuspecting bingo hall filled with slot machines has a brilliant past. The Grade II listed building was a lavish theatre built in 1928 and opened in 1929. The red-carpeted theatre closed in 1962 but you can still see the amazing 1920s ticket boxes and the huge red carpet leading to the main theatre. Many famous people, including some Hollywood stars, appeared here, perhaps even my Music Hall performing ancestors joined them.
All these influences, spanning over 1000 years, just go to show how Lambeth’s inhabitants and cultures have shaped the borough we know and love today.
